Numbers in the news

2

Some 144 walkers from 11 senior centers participated in the PrimeTime Promenade, a walking program/contest between senior centers. Emporium Senior Center placed second out of 11 centers.

The centers with the most miles walked were: first, Bradford (10,328 miles, 25 walkers); second, Emporium (7,470 miles, 25 walkers); third, Johnsonburg (2,749 miles, 12 walkers).

Top walkers for Emporium were: Mid Hoffower, 403 miles; Carol Keller, 509; Bibiana Park, 511; Jim Rusnak, 350; Judy Brown, 339; Lorraine Sanderson, 725; Richard Sanderson, 585; Ann Wheaton, 665: and Jean Zito, 526 miles.

4

The top four locations for wind turbines generating electricity are, in order, Germany, Spain, India and Texas.

Some $6 billion has been invested in industrial wind turbines in 120 counties around west Texas. Opponents are concerned that the turbines could be abandoned if the political winds shift and tax subsidies are reduced or eliminated.

94

Cable and phone companies now provide broadband to 94 percent of the internet market, leaving just six percent still using dial-up service.

However, technology analysts report that the increasing use of interactive and video-intensive services will overwhelm the internet, to the point that downloads and uploads become much slower by 2010.

"Users will experience a slow, subtle degradation starting as soon as 2009 and very noticeable by 2010," said Johna Till Johnson from Nemertes Research. "It will be back to the bad old days of dialup. The cool stuff that you'll want to do will be such a pain in the rear that you won't do it."

The solution will have to come from cable and phone companies. Internet traffic hits a bottleneck when it travels from the companies' neighborhood service wires to the home. Those lines running from the home out to the network are typically copper for phone service and coaxial wiring for cable.

900

When Pennsylvania opened the floodgates to legalized gambling (not counting the state's own legal numbers game, the Pa. Lottery), people rushed in.

About $10 billion has already been wagered, working out to $900 for every many, woman and child in the state.

98

The McKean County Jail - or prison, depending on who's identifying the place - is housing 98 inmates these days.

Warden Tim Woodruff reported that the average inmate population at the Smethport facility this year has been 92. It was built to house a maximum of 70.

Woodruff and staff expand that capacity by creating more double-occupancy cells and housing low-security inmates in temporary quarters.

200M

"We've never seen anything like it," was the reaction of Bob (Smitty) Smith, president of Coudersport Rotary Club. He announced at last week's meeting that Microsoft founder and multi-billionaire Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, had donated $200 million to the Rotary International Polio Plus campaign.

"I've been involved with Rotary for more than 30 years and I've seen a lot of acts of kindness, but nothing like this!," Smitty told club members.

65M

A transportation planning committee learned this week that limited funds will delay the completion of major U.S. Rt. 219 bypasses in Johnsonburg and Bradford. Those two projects will cost $65 million to finish.

Second phase of the Johnsonburg project will cost about $35 million and second phase of the Bradford project is $30 million. Both will go out for bidding in February. These two major activities put a drain on transportation allotments for other counties covered by the Northcentral Pa. Regional Planning and Development Commission.

500

National Office of the American Legion will distribute $500 grants to service members who have a 30-percent or higher disability rating as a result of injuries sustained while serving in the theaters of operations for Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

It's sponsored by the American Legion and the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. For information, contact Joe Becker at 274- 8290, extension 210.